Huntsville, AL – Scottsboro, AL, October 6, 2008

We got underway again this morning at 7:30. We cruised 16 more miles on Wheeler Lake until we came to Guntersville Lock & Dam. We called ahead to check status and the gates were open for us when we arrived.

Prior to getting to the dam we ran into a fog bank and turned on the radar. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic on the lake. Seeing the fog rise off the lake with mountains in the background was very beautiful. The pictures don’t show how pretty it was.

We went by a cave that is a sanctuary for federally endangered gray bats. At dusk, thousands of bats fly from the cave to feed on insects. The number of bats living in the cave fluctuates annually but ranges from 20,000 – 45,000 between April and September. The cave is warmer than most and is used as a bat nursery. In September all the bats migrate to a cooler cave in the hills a few miles north of the river. There are 11 more caves in the Tennessee Valley having a significant gray bat population.

We arrived at Goose Pond Marina and were tied up at 1:45. This is one of the few marinas having a courtesy car. We are really appreciative of courtesy cars. Most marinas are not located in towns and are not close to shopping. Having a car to use lets us re-stock and occasionally do some sightseeing.

1 lock - total 89

Rogersville, AL – Huntsville, AL – October 5, 2008

We were underway this morning by 7:30. It was good to be on the move again. Our day was spent on Wheeler Lake (on the Tennessee River). There were no locks for us to go through and only one railroad bridge to open for us today. There was no wait, we called and the bridge tender opened it just as we approached.

We passed Decatur, AL, then 15 miles of the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. On both sides of the river, it is 34,500 acres of wildlife and recreational interests. It is the southernmost wintering ground of Canadian geese. Thousands of geese and ducks spend the winter here.

The scenery was beautiful along the way. As we neared our marina in Huntsville, we could see mountains in the distance. We have been told that between here and Chattanooga are some of the most beautiful views on the Tennessee River.

Huntsville is located on the Cumberland Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains. There are several mountains around Huntsville. The largest is Monte Sano. There is also Huntville Mountain, Green Mountain, Wade Mountain and Berry Mountain, to name a few.

We arrived and were tied up at 3:00 p.m. There is a campsite next to the marina. It is very pretty and there is a large stone open air pavilion with a huge fireplace. The bathrooms and showers are in another part of the building. We took a long walk around the park.

Fuzzy goes Fishing

Fuzzy remembered when Papa went fishing in Canada and when he saw more people fishing at our marina he wanted to try it.

So, Papa got the fishing pole all ready for Fuzzy and let him fish off the bow of our boat. Fuzzy tried really hard but he didn’t catch any fish. He guessed the fish weren’t hungry, but he’s going to try again.

Jackson, do you remember when Papa took you fishing at the marina in Lake City? You caught some big fish. Papa is looking forward to taking you fishing again. Hayden and Emma, would you like to go fishing too? Do you think Halle would like it?

Rogersville, AL – October 4, 2008

We spent some of today getting the boat ready to leave tomorrow. We plan to make our way to Hales Bar Marina, Tennessee by Thursday when our daughter Keely will arrive for a visit.

We also took a nice, long walk around the park. This is a beautiful park, with marina, golf course, lodge, campsites and many acres of woodlands.

Today is our wedding anniversary. 39 years – we ate at the restaurant in the lodge, a seafood buffet……we should have eaten on the boat.

Rogersville, AL – October 3, 2008

Darrell spent some of the day touching up paint around the boat. He also washed the hull. It was very dirty down by the waterline.

It is very frustrating to not have cell phone coverage. We can occasionally get a signal if we walk around and happen on the right spot. Unfortunately the right spot changes constantly.

Rogersville, AL – October 2, 2008

Darrell returned the rental car this morning. We spent the rest of the day puttering around the boat.

Many of the boaters who were on our dock have used this time before the Fall Rendezvous to take trips home. There are still several boats on the dock, but not very many people.

The leaves are just starting to change color. The next few weeks should be beautiful.

Rogersvile, AL – October 1, 2008

We spent a lot of time on the road today and were able to see a lot of the Alabama and Tennessee countryside. There were cornfields, cotton fields, soybean fields, cattle farms, horse farms, steep hills and valleys, creeks … lots of beautiful scenery, and also a Polo Club.

Beth got to see Coon Dog Cemetery. This is the only cemetery of its kind in the world and began in 1937 with the burial of Troop, a legendary coonhound. Since then, other hunters started doing the same thing when their favorite coon dogs died. Today there are more than 185 coon dogs from all across the United States buried here.

There are headstones, some crafted of wood, some of sheet metal. There are also others having granite headstones like those found in a “normal cemetery”. The names, however are different. Patches, Preacher, Smoky, Bean Blossom, Bomma and Night Ranger are some of the names. Burials are still allowed in this cemetery, however the dog must be an authentic coon dog and there must be a witness to verify this.

Beth was, however, disappointed in the cemetery. She felt that because it had been advertised as tourist stop it should have been well kept up and well tended. In reality it was overgrown with grass and weeds. Darrell was happy to leave Coon Dog Cemetery. Beth thinks he did enjoy the roller coaster drive of the twisting, winding road getting there.

Our next stop was to a much more serious place, the Shiloh National Military Park. This park is the actual site of the April 6th & 7th 1862 battle between the Union and Confederate soldiers. 23,000 men were killed or wounded. We took a car tour after watching a 25 minute video. It was very moving to be on the actual grounds where such a horrific battle took place.

It was interesting to find out that there were 2 battalions from Iowa (our home state) involved in this battle. There were also men from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio involved in the fighting. Some of these men ended up at an area called the Hornets Nest where they repelled seven attacks of the Confederate Army. They were finally overrun and captured when the Confederates assembled all available artillery to bombard their position. However, their heroic efforts enabled General Grant to set up defensive positions for his remaining force as well as allowing time for reinforcements to arrive. This enabled his forces to defeat the Confederate forces the following day.

We also stopped at the Tennessee river Museum in Savanah Tennessee. It chronicles the history of the Tennessee river, the animals and the people that lived in and on it’s banks from pre-historic times to the early 1900’s.